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Repair Questions- for cracks in hull

Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:13 pm
by silversurfer
I've got an old Mohawk Viper that has some small and big cracks that need to be repaired....I've heard G-flex is good but wondering what most people are using these days? Can I use typical figerglass resin or epoxy resin with cloth? Would rather do it on the cheaper end as this is a rescue boat I inherited. Thanks in advance!

Re: Repair Questions- for cracks in hull

Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2021 8:45 pm
by pblanc
I would strongly recommend G Flex over conventional epoxy even though it is more expensive as it will give you a better bond to ABS. You can use it to wet out and bond any type of cloth you like, aramid, fiberglass, carbon fiber, etc but G Flex is more viscous than conventional epoxy. I would only wet out one layer of cloth at a time and I generally don't use any fabrics denser than plain weave 6 ounce/square yard E or S 'glass, or 5 oz./sq. yd. aramid.

I have seen repairs done to Royalex boats using conventional epoxy and fabric that looked great for several years only to have the entire repair "flake off" in one big piece later. G Flex epoxy when cured has a compliance that more nearly matches that of ABS so there is less of a compliance mismatch creating a stress riser than there is with conventional epoxy

Re: Repair Questions- for cracks in hull

Posted: Sat Mar 06, 2021 1:38 am
by dwilson
I'll second pblanc's opinion.